The EURCP -European Union Review & Call to Prayer- March 2007

Newsletter publishers: Hugh & Norma Davis [Not directed by any other ministry] http://www.euprayer.com/

Support 14 prayer walls in Europe  Emmanuel Duvieusart, Pasteur fondateur, “Sentinelles De Priere”   email info@sentinelles.info 

http://ccea.sentinelles.free.fr/US/– [Monthly in five other languages]

 

PRAY for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her role as European Union President for the next months until 1 July 2007, and for Hans-Gert Pöttering, the new President of the European Parliament, as they consider the following, along with other leaders of Europe. PRAY about each of the nations as listed in the article on their separate positions “Where member states stand”. PRAY for the difference between Poland and Germany and the UK and other member nations that it does not destroy the spirit of cooperation which the EU represents. PRAY for German Protestants who are going through a difficult period as they approach the 500^th anniversary of Luther’s thesis on the door PRAY for the new fundamental rights agency. PRAY a workable process for EU enlargement, if necessary

 

 

[50^th] Birthday declaration puts Merkel to EU constitution test -

-http://euobserver.com/9/23619/?rk=1

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Birthday declaration puts Merkel to EU constitution test

05.03.2007 - 09:28 CET | By Mark Beunderman

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German chancellor Angela Merkel is facing the first real test of her efforts to push a revised EU constitution as she seeks to convince EU leaders this week to include a reference to a new treaty in the EU's 50th anniversary declaration. Ms Merkel is likely to raise the constitutional issue during a dinner with EU counterparts on Thursday evening (8 March) where she will outline her ideas for the so-called Berlin declaration to be signed by EU leaders and institutions on 25 March.

 

The two to three page declarations - which will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Treaty of Rome laying the foundation for the current EU - is set to consist of three main parts, on European history, European values and the current challenges facing the union. But the German EU presidency also wants to conclude the document with a fourth element, a paragraph which would call upon EU member states to find a solution to the political impasse following the rejection of the EU constitution by French and Dutch voters in 2005. "The question of what we need in terms of institutions in order to go forward with the union is the crucial issue for Berlin here," EU diplomats said.

 

In a consultation round with member states' so-called "sherpas" - government appointees for confidential talks with Berlin on the EU constitution - it emerged that Ms Merkel wants member states to commit themselves in the anniversary text to deadlines for both the agreement of a re-negotiated constitution text and its ratification. German Europe minister Guenther Gloser said last week a re-negotiated constitution would have to be agreed by the end of 2007 or the beginning of 2008, so there would be a long enough time to ratify by the European elections in 2009. But language on a constitutional timetable is opposed by the UK, Poland and the Netherlands, which seek far-reaching changes to the EU constitution and dislike the idea of a fast-moving constitutional revival process. [Read more on link]

 

German EU Constitution Plans Get Mixed Reception in Berlin

http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evukh7Ifch45nI0

DW staff (jam) | www.dw-world.de | © Deutsche Welle.

European Union | 27.02.2007

It is difficult for Germany to get everyone on the same page regarding the constitution. German plans to put forward new proposals on the stalled EU constitutional process drew support from Denmark but hesitancy from the Czech Republic Tuesday. Berlin will likely have to lower the bar. Although Chancellor Angela Merkel had hoped to use an upcoming summit in Berlin to be a springboard toward a new discussion on an EU constitution, differences among members mean that will likely not happen. German aspirations are being rolled back as member states remain on different pages regarding an EU charter.  "Quality is more important than speed," Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said, following talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. [Read more on link]

Pick the sweetest European cherries

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/748db96e-c6d2-11db-8f4f-000b5df10621.html

By John Kerr

Published: February 28 2007 02:00 | Last updated: February 28 2007 02:00

As we prepare next month to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, creating what is now the European Union, there is plenty to celebrate, not least an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity in western Europe.But another treaty dominates Brussels debate. The constitutional treaty was agreed and signed by all member states, two-thirds of which have ratified it. But the French and Dutch referendums derailed it, the current Polish government dislikes it, the British ignore it and the Germans, current holders of the rotating presidency. have to find a way through. Angela Merkel, chancellor, seems to think the answer could be a new, short version, containing certain important reforms, and may seek to persuade the majority that half a loaf is better than no bread  [read more on link]

 

German-Polish rift hits celebrations

http://www.europeanvoice.com/current/article.asp?id=27463

Vol. 13 No. 8 : 1 March 2007

By Simon Taylor

With less than a month before EU leaders are meant to agree a declaration celebrating 50 years of the European project, governments are still deeply divided over the wording of the text. Senior EU diplomats say that worsening relations between Germany and Poland are making discussions harder, while the UK and a handful of other countries are blocking any explicit reference to the constitution in the declaration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided not to present a draft text to other EU leaders at their meeting on 8-9 March. Instead, she is expected to outline possible key points of the declaration at the start of a dinner of EU leaders on 8 March. The first draft will only emerge after the summit. [Read more on link]

 

Forget constitution or we veto all plans, Britain tells the EU

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2577694,00.html

Philip Webster, Political Editor

The Times February 01, 2007

- Blair and Brown agree on tough line

- Fear that Europe will dog the election

Britain will refuse to sign up to minor changes in the running of the European Union unless it secures a pledge that there will be no revival of the European constitution, The Times has learnt.  Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have agreed that the Government should take a tough line to avoid the constitution dominating British politics for the two years leading up to the next election.

 

They would not agree to anything that required more referendums across the EU; the last attempt to introduce a constitution foundered on the “no” referendums in France and the Netherlands.

The Prime Minister believes that Britain should go no further than agreeing to a “mini-treaty” that would make technical changes to voting arrangements to reflect Europe’s expansion from 15 to 27 nations and end the rotation of the EU presidency every six months, by introducing a team presidency or a permanent president. [Read more on link]

 

EU divisions on constitution grow

01.02.2007 - 09:23 CET | By Honor Mahony

http://euobserver.com/9/23393/?rk=1

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Despite Germany's efforts to conduct negotiations on the EU constitution discreetly, the rifts between member states are spilling out into the open.

The UK Times reported on Thursday that London will refuse to sign up to any institutional changes if it does not secure a pledge that there will be no revival of the EU constitution. [read more on link]

 

EU considers going virtual
-http://euobserver.com/9/23606/?rk=1
EU considers going virtual

02.03.2007 - 17:42 CET | By Helena Spongenberg

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Union is looking into entering the virtual world and opening up an office in Second Life - an increasingly popular internet-based virtual world - which the Swedish government and the French presidential candidates have already entered."It is certainly an idea we are looking into," commission spokesman Mikolaj Dowgielewicz told EUobserver."But we do not have enough people dealing with the internet - we could but they are bogged down with other work such as for the EU's 50th birthday," he said, adding that the EU executive might look further into it at a later stage [read more on link]

 

Europe's constitution: saving something from the wreckage is as easy as 3, 2, 1

http://blogs.ft.com/brusselsblog/2007/01/europes_constit.html#more

January 25, 2007

I'll be in Madrid on Friday, listening to the representatives of 20 countries protesting their love for the European Union constitution (deceased), and insisting that as much of the hallowed treaty should be saved as possible.

 

That is their right and they have a point. After all, 18 out of 27 member states have ratified the constitution (that's the equivalent of 270m people) and Portugal and Ireland will also be in Madrid as non-ratifying but honorary "friends of the constitution".But they should prepare to be disappointed. The fact is that if anything is going to be saved it will have to be modest, unthreatening and boiled down to its barest essentials. This is how you do it:

- First, you ditch Part III of the constitution, the bulk of the original treaty which was a worthy attempt to pull together the EU's 17 existing treaties into a single readable text. Unfortunately it reminded French voters of what was written in the founding Treaty of Rome 50 years ago about free trade and open markets, so perhaps it's best to keep that sort of thing out of public view.

- Second, you strip out the main "innovations" contained in Part III and put them in the new slimline treaty. They include new EU powers in justice and home affairs and a bit more European action in energy and defence. Only the first of these - the extension of qualified majority voting to criminal law and immigration matters - could be considered a significant transfer of sovereingty to Brussels, and even these provisions are subject to "emergency brakes" to defend vital national interests.

- Third, get rid of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (Part II of the constitution). All you need is a single article in the new treaty referring to the charter and the modest legal rights it confers in the operation of EU policies.

- Fourth, change the constitution's name to something less threatening. Also change the nomenclature to allay public concern: why not call the promised new EU foreign minister something dreary like "European foreign policy coordinator"? Then you could ditch the official designations of the EU's anthem, flag, motto and national day that makes Dutch voters fear the Union is turning into a superstate.

- Fifth, you could try to add some waffly, legally non-binding declarations about "social Europe" and something on the environment for the Dutch [read more on link]

 

A better starting point for Europe’s constitution debate

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/93add9ea-abe9-11db-a0ed-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=70662e7c-3027-11da-ba9f-00000e2511c8,print=yes.html

By Giuliano Amato

Published: January 24 2007 21:41 | Last updated: January 24 2007 21:41

The pause for reflection about the European Union’s constitutional future is over and decisions will soon be back on the agenda. Nevertheless, the fabric of consensus remains weak and expectations, fears and intentions are still divergent in member states. There are two misleading questions that could distract attention from what citizens want. The first is whether the EU actually needs a constitution. The second is whether we must preserve the text already approved by 18 member states or write a different one taking account of the French and Dutch No votes. [Read more on link]

 

EU constitution: Where member states stand 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3954327.stm

Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 19:19 GMT

The European constitution was knocked off course when France and the Netherlands rejected it in referendums in May and June 2005, but European leaders are now discussing ways of reviving it in full or in part.

This could mean resurrecting the original text, with minor changes, or drafting a new one. [Read more on each of the national positions on link]

 

Charlemagne - A monster lives again

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8487466

Jan 4th 2007

From The Economist print edition Peter Schrank

European leaders are about to squander their second chance to get the constitution right

WHEN French and Dutch voters rejected the European Union constitution in the summer of 2005, the continent's grandees reacted with dismay verging on panic. “Europe is not in crisis,” said the ever-quotable prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, “it is in deep crisis.” Yet that was always nonsense. The constitutional treaty was a dog's dinner, and its rejection created a precious second chance to go back and get it right. The time to act on that chance has now arrived, with the start of the German EU presidency; for the Germans have promised to make reviving the constitution their top priority. But the opportunity for a second go is likely to be squandered. [Read more on link]

 

As Church Loses Appeal, Protestants Try Rebranding Religion
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evudokIfch45nI3

Religion | 01.02.2007

As Church Loses Appeal, Protestants Try Rebranding Religion

The out-dated image of the protestant church is contributing to falling membership

490 years after Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to a door in Wittenberg, the city is the staging post for a revival aimed at reversing the fortunes of the nation's ailing Protestant church.Last summer, German Protestants were catapulted into an identity crisis when the Evangelical Church (EKD) called for a "shift in thinking.” Otherwise, the church will be left with just one third of its current membership and only fifty percent of its current funds by 2030," it warned. So the alarm bells were ringing when some 300 church representatives and politicians came together for a congress in Wittenberg to discuss ways of braking this accelerating trend. According to the organizers from the EKD, the solution is a slate of reforms designed to usher in a "decade of change" set to culminate on the 500th anniversary of Luther's Theses in 2017. [Read more on link]

 

The creation of a Fundamental Rights Agency is a basic element of the EU policy to respect and promote fundamental rights.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/rights/fsj_rights_agency_en.htm

The Commission proposes the establishment of a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. The Agency will be an independent centre of expertise on fundamental rights issues through data collection, analysis and networking. It will advise the Union institutions and the Member States on how best to prepare or implement fundamental rights related Union legislation. [Read more on link]

 

Ask the expert: EU enlargement

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8791fc0e-aa3b-11db-83b0-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=5233baf0-551b-11da-8a74-00000e25118c,print=yes.html

Published: January 22 2007 17:18 | Last updated: January 25 2007 15:52

Olli Rehn, EU commissioner for enlargement, answers your questions

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union in January has sparked a backlash, questioning the EU’s capacity to integrate new member states. Should any other countries be admitted to the EU in the near future? And should Brussels even think of beginning talks with Serbia and other states in the western Balkans? Meanwhile the EU’s relationship with Turkey is becoming increasingly strained, with rising tension over Cyprus and growing EU concerns about the pace of reform. Can negotiations for Turkey to join the EU be brought back from the brink? [read more on link]

 

EURCP readers – Keep the European Union of Prayer – in your prayers - along with Chairman Ortwin Schweitzer – We are planning to be active in Berlin during the 50th EU/Rome Treaty anniversary – we will keep you informed on how to pray

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EUReview & Call to Prayer Ministries, Hugh and Norma Davis EURCP@aol.com , http://www.euprayer.com

Also contact http://ccea.sentinelles.free.fr/US/  Emmanuel Duvieusart, for Prayer Wall, email info@sentinelles.info 

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